Fantastic Mr Fox: Biggest Competition for Up at the Oscars

With the release of animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox on DVD yesterday, the stop-motion feature still looks set to provide the strongest competition for Disney blockbuster Up in the Best Animated Feature Film category at the Oscars in a few weeks time. The first directing work of Wes Anderson, Fantastic Mr. Fox is able to boast a star-studded voice cast, with the likes of George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray all providing their voice talents for the main roles. As an adaptation of the well-loved children’s novel by Roald Dahl, the film went out to cinemas with a great chance of winning the hearts of the nation. So far, Fantastic Mr. Fox has received very positive reviews from critics, and is rated highly on the film review website Rotten Tomatoes. It is the second highest rated animated film on the site; this reveals the sad truth about the film. Although a strong contender for the Academy Award, it may not stand a chance against Up, which is the only animated film with a higher rating. The odds reflect this, with Up the odds on favourite to win at 1/20 from Boyle Sports and 888Sports, with Fantastic Mr. Fox only at 8/1 from the same bookies. The timing of these films can be considered a real shame, as all five of the nominees for Best Animated Feature Film display the best in a variety of animation styles; Fantastic Mr. Fox and Coraline for stop motion, The Princess and the Frog and The Secret of Kells for traditional animation, and of course Up representing computer animation. Up looks set to steal the show, though, especially with the advertising and prestige of Disney behind it which led to successful box office takings. In any case, Fantastic Mr. Fox deserves its nomination, and is likely to sell well on DVD following its release

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